SWEET XMAS

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world- From November onwards, more than 400milion people celebrate Xmas , that makes Xmas one of the the world’s biggest religious and commercial festivities. At that time everybody will take holiday to come back home for getting together, sharing for all of what happen during last year.

At that time, many town centers and shops will be decorate colored lights, shiny decoration and artificial snow painted on shop windows. Christmas tree with light and Christmas ornaments also appear every where. Shopping centers become busier ands often stay open till late and you can hear many traditional Christmas songs when you go to public areas. Most homes will be also decorated with Christmas trees, colored lights and paper or plastic decoration all of rooms. There are many Christmas greeting cards will be posted to friend, family in the three weeks before Christmas. Christmas greeting cards are often winter pictures, Father Christmas, best wishes or romantic scenes of life in past times.

Therefore Christmas is called a time for families, fund and enjoying! A time of family gathering and holiday meals. A time for Santa, stars and singing. A time for ornaments, gift and light. A time for who wants to return to a period in our childhood or some other good times in the past to against the troubles of adult life.
In our Vietnam, the Christmas celebration usually starts with Christmas Eve, the evening of December 24 and last during next day (25 December) so with almost Vietnamese Christmas is the most magical time of the year.
Talking about Christmas, thinking about happiness and hope. So Christmas is coming which will bring the peace message for our like today.


THE OLD MAN WITH SACK – WHO IS HE?

Father Christmas or Santa Claus has become the human face of Christmas, the old man with long white beard, red coat and bag of toys. Children are taught that he brings them presents the night before Christmas and all of children really believe this is true. He come into house down the chimney at midnight an places present for the children in socks or bags at their beds or in front of family Christmas tree. Children believe that if they write their wishes in letter and send to Father Christmas, their dreams will come true. Therefore, Christmas can be a time of excitement for children.

QUESTION FOR DISCUTION

1. Where will you go to enjoy the Christmas Eve?
2. What will you do to welcome Christmas?
3. What present do you want to receive in this season greeting from your sweet heart, your family and your friend?
4. If your lover/ your wife or your husband talks with you that he or she will make your wish come true but just only 1 wish on this Christmas. What would you wish? ( Great! Golden chance)
5. Have you ever welcome Christmas alone? Or with sadness?
- If yes, what happened? How was your feeling? What did you do?
- If no, pls imagine what you will do?
6. Which activity do you like best in preparing to celebrate Christmas? Shopping? Home decoration? Etc…?
7. Do you think that there is difference in Christmas welcome way between the single people and marriage people? If yes? What is it?
8. Have you ever had a sweet Xmas? What is it?
9. Do you think a real Christmas should have snow and cold weather? Is there any place on the world you wish to enjoy Christmas?
10. What do you think of Bien Hoa Christmas? Is it fun and beautiful?

SONG FOR CHRISTMAS
LAST CHRISTMAS( Chorus )

Last Christmas,I gave you my heartBut the very next day

You gave it away

This year , To save me from tears

I'll give it to someone special

( back to Chorus )

Once bitten and twice shy

I keep my distance

But you still catch my eye

Tell me baby

Do you recognize me?

Well It's been a year

It doesn't surprise me

(Happy Christmas)

I wrapped it up and sent it

With a note saying "I love you"

I meant it

Now I know what a fool I've been

But if you kissed me now

I know you'd fool me again

( back to Chorus )

A crowded room

Friends with tired eyes

I'm hiding from you

And your soul of ice

My god I thought you were

Someone to rely on me

I guess I was a shoulder to cry on

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart

A man under cover but you tore me apart

Now I've found a real love

You'll never fool me again

(back to Chorus )

(back to Chorus )

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart

A man under cover buy you tore him apart

Maybe next year I'll give it to someone

I'll give it to someone special.

LOVE - MARRIAGE

Love has many different meanings and takes an important role in our life also. It is an intensive feeling inside us which we want to forward to somebody but in some special case we have to keep it hidden in your heart. The love between boy and girl can start by many partner’s interesting character even at the first sight… People can fall in love by her/his intelligence, attractive body, huge property or power in social. Some body falls in love as normal way but other one just want to know how to love or even love just for fun….... Love is essentially an abstract concept, much easier to experience than to explain. In ordinary case, it usually refers to interpersonal love, its symbol maybe marriage, expectation of live together with partner forever. Marriage is an interpersonal relationship with governmental, social, or religious recognition, usually intimate and sexual, and often created as a contract, or through civil process. The most common form of marriage unites a man and a woman as husband and wife and often are declared by a wedding ceremony.

In general, from love to marriage it will be a big turning-point in life of everybody. Because that is the beginning of a new life, combining two families into one together with changes, challenges. Through that, you will feel differences with single life before. And for a negative example: while you want to receive romantic actions, enjoy freedom for shopping, travel... but in front of you, the worry about expense in family, take care of children, housework to do will turn you down. Maybe sometime you feel boring and tired, enthusiasm will start to dim in you, even you have recognized what you would lose when you compared your life before marriage with after marriage. It seems love and marriage like the rule of life, maybe we know their definition, but we will not really understand and not experience if we’ve never spent that time before.

New vocabulary:

· Intense : maõnh lieät
· Interpersonal : giöõa caù nhaân vôùi nhau
· Abstract : trừu tượng, khó hiểu
· Intimate : thaân mật
· Turning-point : böôùc ngoaëc

Question:

1. Can you give 3 commonest reasons people decide to get married?

2. What age do you want to get married? What age is suitable for man and woman to get married? Is it affected by social? Tradition? Family?

3. What will you do to build up the happy family while you are just a member in big family before marriage, but after marriage you become owner in small family?

4. How do you think about couples just want to maintain relationship in love without marriage? What will (be) decrease even lose in love after marriage ? Are you afraid of that?

5. Do you think woman’s life will change after marriage? What are they? Do you want to enjoy life as a single man as long as you can?

6. Can you share a target love and standard marriage in your opinion?

Further reading:

Finding a partner

In order to get married, it is necessary to find a suitable partner. A partner may be found by the person wishing to be married via a process of courtship. Alternately, two marriage-able people may be matched by a third party, typically with the match finalized only if both candidates approve the union. This is known as an arranged marriage.

The choice between courtship and arranged marriage is made by the person seeking marriage or by his or her parents. In some cases, the parents will be ready to force an arranged marriage because of cultural tradition or for some other special reason. It is worth noting, however, that in many cases the person seeking marriage is comfortable with having his or her marriage arranged and, even disregarding parental preference, would freely choose an arranged marriage. Actual forced marriage is common in only a few communities and often attracts harsh criticism even from people who are generally in favor of arranged marriage.

Given a choice, the preference for the method of courtship or arranged marriage is determined by whether a person believes that marriage should be based on emotion or logic. At one end of the scale is a person who believes that there is only one unique "soul mate" suitable for them. A partner is typically chosen based on the depth of emotional connection experienced with their partner during the courtship phase of the relationship. At the other end of the scale is a person who believes that there are many suitable partners, and typically views marriage chiefly as a means to start a family. The deep emotional bond between partners characteristic of good marriages is more likely to be viewed as something which can be developed through nurture and cultivation with any suitable partner. Most people fall somewhere between these two extremes.

FUNNY STORY

Candles of Giving Births

A 40-year-old couple asked the Bishop for praying God to bless them a child. The Bishop : Tomorrow I'm coming to Roma and I will light on 3 candles for you in Vatican Church.After 2 years, the Bishop goes back to visit those couple for the results. He comes inside the house and sees only the wife with 2 sets of twins. The Bishop : Where's your husband ? Wife : Thank you Sir for lighting candles and now we have 2 sets of twins. My husband has come to Roma to blow off those 3 candles

Home Early

A blonde guy gets home early from work and hears strange noises coming from the bedroom. He rushes upstairs to find his wife naked on the bed, sweating and panting. "What's up?" he says. "I'm having a heart attack," cries the woman.He rushes downstairs to grab the phone, but just as he's dialing, his 4-year-old son comes up and says "Daddy! Daddy! Uncle Ted's hiding in your closet and he's got no clothes on!" The guy slams the phone down and storms upstairs into the bedroom, past his screaming wife, and rips open the wardrobe door. Sure enough, there is his brother, totally naked, cowering on the closet floor. "You rotten bastard," says the husband, "my wife's having a heart attack, and you're running around naked, scaring the kids!"

INVENTION

Innovation is the act of introducing new ideas and methods to improve the old ones. It is an important element which effects to the development of a country. It is changing our daily life also. People are always active and creative to brainstorm to find new things and apply them in many fields. We can see innovation in science, economy, education, politic, culture and other areas. In my opinion, Innovation is a big topic and we have limited time so I just focus on one of kind of it, INVENTIONS.
Just have a quick look at some things around you, you can realize there are many inventions which have given you a lot of advantages like convenience and comfort in daily life. Image how your life would be if we did not have any invention!!
Great inventions around the world were created and have been applied to help us to reach the modern life. Women find it comfortable and easy to balance the time to arrange their work in office and their housework, taking care of their babies. Men have much more time for their families and hobbies.
Inventions have been in a lot of daily fields such as communication, transportation, entertainment, food and others. How about our life if there were no electricity, no lights, no TVs, no internet, no laptops, no high-tech machines? How could you communicate with others easily and timely without telephones or mobile phones?
How long would it take you to move to other places without means of transport like motorbikes, cars, ships or planes? When you get ill but no medicine, what would happen? There are a lot of questions like this which you spend all life to answer. Close your eyes in 30 seconds and image how you could manage you life without inventions, you will value its importance.



QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:
1/ In your opinion, what inventions are most important?
- Please tell me why?
2/ What inventions do you like best?
- What advantages can you get from them?
3/ What are the most important and useful for you in your daily life?
- Tell us the reasons please?
4/ Have you ever got any difficulty when you apply inventions to you life?
- What is it?
- Why you get stuck on it?
5/ Share us some advantages and disadvantages you get from inventions?
6/ Image and tell us what you think about your life if you stuck in some following cases:
- No electricity, no electric lights.
- No telephones, no mobile phones, no internet.
- No computers, no laptops.
- No vehicles: motorbikes, cars, ships, planes.
- No fast food.
- And others.
7/ Have you ever create any thing which you think it is your own great invention?
- What is it?
- What are its advantages and disadvantages?/ what can it use for?
- How were your feelings at that time?
8/ If you have chance and enough good conditions, what will you create to change or improve the old ones which you think they are not suitable for us?

FURTHER READING:

Pre-electrical Lamps
The first lamp was invented around 70,000 BC. A hollow rock, shell or other natural found object was filled with moss or a similar material that was soaked with animal fat and ignited. Humans began imitating the natural shapes with manmade pottery, alabaster, and metal lamps. Wicks were later added to control the rate of burning. Around the 7th century BC, the Greeks began making terra cotta lamps to replace handheld torches. The word lamp is derived from the Greek word lampas, meaning torch.

Oil Lamps
In the 18th century, the central burner was invented, a major improvement in lamp design. The fuel source was now tightly enclosed in metal, and a adjustable metal tube was used to control the intensity of the fuel burning and intensity of the light. Around the same time, small glass chimneys were added to lamps to both protect the flame and control the flow of air to the flame.

Ami Argand, a Swiss chemist is credited with first developing the principal of using an oil lamp with a hollow circular wick surrounded by a glass chimney in 1783.
Lighting Fuels
Early lighting fuels consisted of olive oil, beeswax, fish oil, whale oil, sesame oil, nut oil, and similar substances. These were the most commonly used fuels until the late 18th century. However, the ancient Chinese collected natural gas in skins that was used for illumination.
In 1859, drilling for petroleum oil began and the kerosene (a petroleum derivative) lamp grew popular, first introduced in 1853 in Germany. Coal and natural gas lamps were also becoming wide-spread. Coal gas was first used as a lighting fuel as early as 1784.
Gas Lights
In 1792, the first commercial use of gas lighting began when William Murdoch used coal gas for lighting his house in Redruth, Cornwall. German inventor Freidrich Winzer (Winsor) was the first person to patent coal gas lighting in 1804 and a "thermo-lampe" using gas distilled from wood was patented in 1799. David Melville received the first U.S. gas light patent in 1810.
Early in the 19th century, most cities in the United States and Europe had streets that were gaslight. Gas lighting for streets gave way to low pressure sodium and high pressure mercury lighting in the 1930s and the development of the electric lighting at the turn of the 19th century replaced gas lighting in homes.

FUNNY STORY:
THE BOM AND THE PILOT
Three people were on a plane. One said to the pilot, "I have a glass bottle. What do I do with it?" The pilot told him to throw it out the window. The second one asked the same question and the pilot also told him to throw it out the window. The third one asked the pilot, "I have a bomb. What do I do with it?" The pilot told him to throw it out the window. When they landed they met a man crying. When asked why he was crying, he replied, "Because I got hit in the head with a glass bottle. They met a woman who was crying for the same reason. Then the met a man laughing. They asked him why he was laughing and he replied, "Because I walked by a building and farted. Then the building blew up.

HELMET - SOLUTION FOR VIETNAM TRAFFIC

On TV or radio, sometimes do we hear about serious traffic accidents which injured or killed a lot of people. These accidents did a great damage to victim’s lives. Although everybody knows the harm of these accidents, there has still been an increase of number of traffic accidents nowadays. Why? This is the problem that we will discuss today.

1/ Traffic problems in Vietnam today:

Nowadays, traffic in Vietnam is very chaotic. According to many experts, Vietnam is considered to be one of the countries that are leading the traffic accidents every year. Since the beginning of this year, there has been more than 11,000 traffic accidents and 76% of them were caused by motorbike (Source: Thanhnien online)
As far as I know, the main reasons for this are the awareness of people. Some people ignore the police’s warnings and they are not aware of how dangerous it is if they don’t obey the traffic law. For instance, few high school students use motorbikes to go to school, many people overtake, turn left or right and park illegally. When being asked about their mistakes, they often give many excuses.
Moreover, at school, children are not educated to execute traffic law, they don’t have any chance to practise, they must learn all theory by hard, so it is very difficult for them to understand. May be, that is the reason why 25% people died of traffic accidents are children.
The second reason is the lack of facilities. Many national highways are in bad condition. Most of them are very old, narrow and they have lots of pot-holes, thus it prevents the transportation. In addition, pavements are known as places to merchandise, park and advertise. The pedestrians have to walk at roadways and therefore make it easy to cause accidents. There problems are considered as reasons that make the traffic in Vietnam become more and more chaotic.

2/ Solutions to these traffic problem:

To reduce the amount of traffic accidents, our government has passed traffic laws, rebuilt traffic infrastructure, replaced traffic light as well as recently enacted the law “ Wearing helmet while driving motorbike”. According to this law, everybody using motorbike will have to wear helmet from Dec 15 2007. It is said that this will protect our head from injury if accident happens. It also help you avoid noise, dust when driving. Mr Hans Thomson, a representative of WHO in Vietnam reported that in Thailand, since the government passed “ wearing helmet law”, the amount of people died of head and neck trauma reduced 24%.
However, buying a high-quality helmet isn’t easy at all. There are many kinds of helmets as well as artificial ones in outlet, and people don’t have any guides to choose a good one. In addition, the price of helmet is so high that the poor can’t buy it. For example, in Da Nang, the price of a helmet cost one-fourth worker’s wages.
On the other hand, many people don’t voluntarily wear helmets. Have you ever heard of “ Hiring Helmets”? This is a way to cop with police. In general, these helmets are in bad conditions, thus it will be very dangerous in case you have an accident.


3/ Conclusion:

In my view, it is necessary to educate people and show them the benefits of executing traffic law. We should also pass strict laws the punish hard-headed people. However, the most important thing is that everyone must be aware of what they are doing and willing to obey traffic law because it affects not only themselves, their children but also other people. Last but not least, voluntarily executing traffic law especially wearing helmets while using motorbike help you to prove how civil you are.

Questions:

1/ What do you think of traffic problems in Vienam today?
2/ Do you think the low price of motorbikes is one of reason to cause more traffic jam as well as accidents? Why?
3/ What difficulties do you face with current traffic jam? ( time/money/etc..)
4/ What are your ideas of wearing helmets? Advantages and disadvantages?
- Do you think it is a need to wear helmet in the city?
- How does it impact on your dressing? Fashion clothes with helmet?
- Does it truly help to improve consequence of accident?
5/ Do you think this time people will follow this rule strictly?
- If not, what do you think our government should do to get it on track?
-
6/ Do you have any criteria when buying? What are they/
7/ The quality of helmet is a concern when buying. Are you pleased with its current quality?
- If no, what do you expect?
- How about the design/size?
7/ Beside enacting of the rule to wearing helmet, we should educate people about traffic laws. However, traffic lesions are taught very boring at school. In order to improve it, do you think what they would do?
8/ Some construction sites of water pipe or drainage obstructed the traffic and even caused traffic jam and accident.
- Can you name some construction sites?
- What do we expect from it?


LEARNING CORNER:

Slang in daily talk

1/ One on one

If you want to talk to someone alone, you say you’d like to speak him or her one-on-one. Or if a teacher gives you some special help after class you can say you got some one-on-one advice. When you’re talking about talking, one-on-one means a conversation between two people with no one else around.

- You think you’re good at basketball? Let’s see. Let’s have a game of one on one.- I need to talk to you one-on-one about some serious issues.

2/ All-nighter
A study or work session that goes through the night; studying without sleep ( usually a last-minute course of action ).
The term is popular with college students who spend the night before an exam studying ( or ‘cramming’ ), trying to learn a lot of material in a short period of time. The term is frequently used in the phrase ‘ pull an all-nighter
- We pulled an all-nighter to finish the report.- I pulled an all-nighter to study for my math exam.

3/ All ears
Listening carefully; keenly attentive.
- I was all ears as Svet told me this exciting story.

TELL ME YOUR WISH

Everyone has their own wishes. If you ask the children about their wishes, it could be about new toys or it could be a wish for less studying to be able to spend more time for playing. If you ask a fresh graduate, the wish would be finding a good job. To some employees, getting higher salary or promotion might be their wishes. In general, the wish may differ from person to person. However, they still have a same common of the desire to have happiness or a better life.

Even though, we have our own wishes, just some of us set them as targets and take action to achieve it. While the others just make a wish and let them passing by. Today, we wont discuss about how to make our dreams come true. In this discussion, we are expecting to hear your sharing about your dreams.

Questions:
1/ Do you usually make a wish on your birthday?
-What is your latest wish?
2/ If you had 5 billions or more tomorrow, what would you do with that?
3/ If you could meet a celebrity tomorrow, who would you like to meet?
- What would you do?
4/ When you were child, did you wish to meet a fairy?
- What would you have done if you had met her?
5/ If you could have a chance to take an adventure into a fairy tale, what fairy tale would you choose? Why ?
- Do you think you will change the endings of the story?
- If yes, how it is going to be?
6/ If there is a place that you wish you could go there before you pass away, where is it?
- Why do you want to go there?
7/ What is the gift that you wish to have?
- Why don’t you buy it by yourself?
8/ If you can be a hero ( real or fiction one), who would you like to become?
9/ What is your craziest wish that you ever thought of ?
- Do you think it could happen? Why?
10/ 2007 is going to end soon while 2008 is just around your front yard. What is your wish for next year?



Further Reading
As we discussed, we can see there are many wishes everywhere. To make a wish come true, it is not easy at all. It even gets tougher for homeless/disable children. There is an organization named KOTO which was established to help those kids achieve their wishes/dreams by helping them get a job. Today, I would like to give you some information about it
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KOTO – WHERE DREAMS OF STREET’S KIDS COME TRUE

KOTO is about creating a safe environment where a small group of extremely vulnerable young people can learn and grow - because through education and skills comes empowerment and the path to a brighter future."
Mr Jimmy Pham, KOTO Founder and Director

The concept of KOTO began on the streets of Hanoi in 1996 when an Australian Vietnamese man, Mr Jimmy Pham, asked a group of street kids what they wanted out of life. They simply replied, "we need skills so we can find stable jobs" and so the concept of KOTO was born.

In just five years, KOTO has grown from a small sandwich shop in Hanoi to a 120-seat restaurant and an internationally accredited hospitality program that gives some very special young people the start in life that everyone deserves.
Today KOTO is recognised for its dynamic restaurant and its effective grassroots development project that is breaking the cycle of poverty amongst street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.

Street Voices supports the KOTO Hanoi Restaurant and KOTO Training Program by holding fundraising events in Australia and raising the profile of Vietnamese street and disadvantaged youth.

The young people in the KOTO program study hospitality skills and English, and take part in an essential life skills program. They gain practical skills working at the KOTO restaurant.

KOTO graduates complete the program as confident and capable young adults who are able to take control of their own lives. They are highly valued by the hospitality industry in Vietnam and many now work in top hotels and restaurants in Hanoi.

KOTO continues to grow and develop as many more street kids and disadvantaged youth pass through its doors and go onto successful careers. KOTO hopes to become a model that can be adopted elsewhere in Vietnam, Asia and in other countries in need.

TEACHER'S DAY

Be your master by one or half of word that you learn

In Vietnam, we don't have mother's day or father's day but we do have Teacher's Day – November 20th. The holiday has its origins in a meeting between educators in communist bloc nations in Warsaw in 1957. It was first celebrated in 1982.Teacher's Day is when students pay respect and give thanks to those that have educated them and given them knowledge. Students visit all their favorite teacher's from previous years and thank them too. It's a really big deal and a nice tradition.

Education and self-betterment are very much valued in Vietnamese culture and resultantly, those who teach are treated with utmost respect throughout the community. Students can choose to show their teacher appreciation and respect in a variety of ways – some of which are employable on other Teacher’s Days throughout the rest of the world and some of which relate to the national culture, lifestyle and heritage.
To involve the culture of Vietnam in celebration has the potential for wonderful consequences. Although not particularly famous worldwide, Vietnam has a rich musical background, particularly in the national classical genre. Whilst this type of music from the North could be considered as formal and highly structured, Southern classical music is lively and would certainly be suitable for any celebration. A fitting suggestion for Vietnam Teacher’s Day would be for a class or small group of students to compose a stylistic classical piece of music, in honour of their favourite teacher. This activity would also function as a team building exercise, promoting a happier classroom atmosphere.
Similarly, the class could cook together. Vietnamese gastronomy comprises an interesting mix of flavours - from the extremely sweet to the extremely sour, the range of flavours allows for plenty of creativity and innovation in the kitchen. After pupils have designed and made a Vietnamese dish, or prepared something following a culturally typical recipe, the teacher can then enjoy it as a gift of appreciation.
As well as education and self-betterment, Vietnamese culture promotes respect meaning that something as simple as telling a teacher how much he/she is appreciated, on a gift card for example, really would be considered as a great gesture on Vietnam Teacher’s Day – 20th November 2007

With a special gift for learningAnd with a heart that deeply cares,You add a lot of loveTo everything you share,And even thoughYou mean a lot,You'll never know how much,For you helpedTo change the worldThrough every life you touched.You sparked the creativityIn the students whom you taught,And helped them strive for goalsThat could not be bought,You are such a special teacherThat no words can truly tellHowever much you're valuedFor the work you do so well
The Wonderful Teacher
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSS :
1. Who is your favorite teacher? Why?
2. Which characteristics of teachers do you like? Why?
3. Should teachers punish the students when they are in troubles?
4. should teachers respect their students in front of all students? Why?
5. Should teachers be an examples for their students? Why?
6. Did your school organize any activities on this day? which gave you the most impressive?

FURTHER READING :

TEACHER’S DAY IN SOME COUNTRIES

- India : September 5 is Teacher's Day in India. It is the birthday of former Indian president and teacher Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. When Dr. Radhakrishnan became the president of India in 1962, some of his students and friends approached him and requested him to allow them to celebrate 5 September, his birthday. In reply, Dr. Radhakrishnan said, "Instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers' Day."
This is not a holiday in India. It is considered a "celebration" day, where teachers and students report to school as usual but the usual activities and classes are replaced by activities of celebration, thanking and remembrance. At some schools on this day, the responsibility of teaching is taken up by the senior students as an appreciation for their teachers.
Traditionally, people in India have given tremendous respect and honor to teachers. An old Indian saying (usually taught to children), ranks teacher in the third place, even before God: "Maata, Pitha, Guru, Daivam", meaning Mother, Father and Teacher is God. There is another saying in the form of a couplet (doha), which goes, "Guru Govind doou khare kake lagon paai? Balihari guru aap ki Govind deeo batai," Meaning "I am in a fix whom to salute first: the teacher or the God. I shall choose the teacher as he is the one who is instrumental in me knowing the God." Further, a central piece in Hindu scripture reads "Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Guru devo Maheshwaraha - Gurussaakshaath param brahma tasmai shree gurave namaha," which translates as "The Guru (Teacher) is the Lord Brahma (the Creator), the Guru is the Lord Vishnu (the Preserver), the Guru is the Lord Shiva (the Destroyer). The Guru is the Supreme Brahman (Ultimate Reality) visible to our eyes. To that Guru we offer our salutations"
- Malaysia :May 16 is Teacher's Day (Malay: Hari Guru) in Malaysia.
- China : The Teachers' Day was first founded at National Central University in 1931, adopted by the central government of ROC in 1932, and in 1939 the day was set on September 28, which is Confucius's birthday. It was abrogated by PRC government in 1951 and reestablished in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10. An increasing number of people are now making an effort to revert Teachers' Day back to Confucius's birthday.
- Latin America : The Argentinian Teachers' Day is on September 11, commemorating the death of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, an Argentinian politician and respected educator. This establishment was agreed on during the Interamerican Conference on Education of 1943, held in Panama.
Many Latin American countries, however, have a separate national Teachers' Day better accorded with their own history. In Brazil, Teachers' Day (Dia do Professor) or Master Day (Dia do Mestre) is October 15. In Mexico, in September of 1917, the Federal Congress decreed May 15 to be Teachers' Day (Día del Maestro). May 15, 1918 was the first celebration of this holiday in Mexico. In Peru, Teacher's Day is celebrated on July 6.
Colombia celebrates teacher day in May.
- Russia : in Russia Teachers' Day is on October 5th. Before 1994, this day was assigned to be the first Sunday of October.
- Singapore : In Singapore, Teachers' Day is an official school holiday, celebrated on September 1. Celebrations are normally conducted the day before, when students get half a day off.
- South Korea : In South Korea the Teachers' Day is on May 15. On this day, the teachers are usually presented with carnations by their students, and both enjoy a shorter school day. Ex-students pay their respects to the former teachers by visiting them and bringing gifts. Many schools nationwide are now closed on this day to commemorate the efforts of teachers.
- Taiwan : In Taiwan, it is celebrated on September 28. The day honors teachers' virtues, pains, and also their contribution not only to their own students but also to the whole society. People often make use of the day to express their gratitude to their teachers, such as paying them a visit or sending them a card. This date was chosen to commemorate the birth of Confucius, believed to be the model master educator in ancient China.
In 1939, the Ministry of Education established the national holiday to be August 27, the attributed birthday of Confucius. In 1952, the Executive Yuan changed it to September, stating that it was calculated to be the precise date in the Gregorian calendar.
The festival celebration occurs in the temples of Confucius around the island, known as the "Grand Ceremony Dedicated to Confucius" . The ceremony begins at 6 AM with drum beats. 54 musicians dress in robes with blue belts, 36 (or 64) dancers dress in yellow with green belts. They are led by Confucius's chief descendant (currently Kung Te-cheng) and followed by ceremonial officers. Three animals -- the cow, the goat, and the pig -- are sacrificed. The hairs plucked from these sacrificed animals are called the Hairs of Wisdom.
In addition, local education institutes and civil offices award certain teachers for their excellence and positive influence.
- Thailand : January 16 was adopted as Teachers' Day in the Thailand by a resolution of the government on November 21, 1956. The first Teachers' Day was held in 1957.
- USA : In the United States, Teachers' Day is a non-official holiday on the Tuesday of the first full week of May.
The National Education Association (NEA) describes National Teacher Day as "a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives" [3]
The NEA gives a history of National Teacher Day:

The origins of Teacher Day are murky. Around 1944 Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day to honor teachers. Woodbridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt who in 1953 persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.

NEA along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates and the Dodge City (Kan. ) local lobbied Congress to create a national day celebrating teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only.

NEA and its affiliates continued to observe Teacher Day on the first Tuesday in March until 1985, when the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May. The NEA Representative Assembly then voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day. [4]

As of September 7, 1976, September 11 was also adopted as Teachers' Day in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

Wedding Season - Love Season

We are going through some last months of a year. It means that we will finish a year of hard working with many happiness as well as challenges in life and work. However, to some couples, it opens up a special time for them, marking a significant milestone in their life because they have tighten the knot of relationship for a wedding.

In Vietnam, wedding can take place any time of the year. But it just gets busy from Nov each year. That is why we call this time of the year- the wedding season.

I am likely sure that some of you have joined a wedding before. And today, I want you to share with us everything of wedding.
1/ What is the latest wedding that you have just attended? Whose party is it? Is it organized at home or at restaurant? Which one do you prefer?

2/ Do you think wedding party normally starts on time which is mentioned in invitation card?
If no, do you know what is the reason ? What time do you normally go?
3/ Is there anything that you don’t like to go to the party?
- place?
- Food?
- Wedding ceremony?
- Service?
- Etc..

4/ What do you think of singing part in the party? Do you think it is good to cheer up the atmosphere and it is also a way for guest to greet the wedding couple? Or it destroys the cozy wedding meal?

5/ Can you share with us the most impressive wedding that you have joined? What made you so impressed about it?

6/ If you have a wedding, where do you want to go for shooting pictures?
- Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc,…

7/ What kind of party do you want to organize ?
- A traditional party : 50 tables in a restaurant?
- A western-style party: just some close friends and relatives gather and greeting for the couple. Some light meal and drink will be served. Dancing would be one of the entertainment.

8/ If you have enough all resources, and you want to make your wedding so special, just like one in the millions. What would you do and share with us your crazy plan :-)
- a wedding under water for example

9/ Where would you want to go for honey moon?
- Thailand, Vinpearl, Phu Quoc, Paris, Italy…?
- Why?
- How long will it last?

10/ Have you heard any good advices from yourself or others for preparing a good wedding? Pls share with us.


Further Reading:

Vietnam getting marriage under the water

28/06/07 (GMT+7)
Getting marriage under the water, friday morning (June 22) at the Cau Da (Rock Bridge) Port of Nha Trang City, young couple Clint Bentley and Tamara Little from Brisbane, Australia excitedly went on board to sail to Mun Island for the first under water wedding in Vietnam
Having scuba dived a couple of times, the young couple fell in love with the beautiful landscapes of the underwater world here and decided to do an underwater wedding to make it an everlasting memory.
They contacted PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and were introduced to the Vietnam Diving Center (Vinadive) of Vietravel, one of the first PADI Diving Clubs in Vietnam, and the center agreed to organize the ceremony.
The couple spent one day before their “big” day practicing with the help of the center’s staff on Mun Island, the marine protected area having more than 350 kinds of corals and hundreds of marine creatures, about ten kilometers from Nha Trang City.
Under water wedding in Vietnam, on friday, after sailing for about an hour, the boat reached the island and anchored. Some of the center’s staff dove first to bring the gate, decorated with flowers and hung with a table on which was written “Under water wedding,” down to the sandy ground at a depth of five meters.
Tamara and Clint stayed in the boat and wore traditional Vietnamese wedding costumes (ao dai and khan dong) for the bride and the groom over their diving suits. They lingered for a while for their friends to take pictures before putting on life jackets and the diving equipment with weights of approximately 40 kilograms.
Then, before hearing the guidance of the instructor, both of them jumped into the sea and exchanged kisses, while still floating on the water’s surface, to encourage each other.
Tamara, in the red ao dai, went down first with the escort of an instructor, to the sandy bottom where the master of the ceremony, Clive A Carter, from Gravesend, England was waiting.
Clive, who is one member of the dive team from Vinadive, had been working in Nha Trang for 2 years now and has a great deal of experience diving the islands in Nha Trang Bay.
Clint with a bouquet of flowers in one hand followed and swam to Tamara. He presented her the bouquet and knelt down on the white sandy bottom.
They exchanged wedding rings and kisses as witnessed by some of their friends in the romantic setting of the transparent blue water with colorful flocks of fish swimming around them.
They were also given the certificate of the underwater wedding on board. The couple then spent more time exploring other views under the water before returning to the boat to open champagne and cut the wedding cake to celebrate the successful wedding.
“It is such an exotic and special experience for us,” Clint expressed their feeling. They also plan to hold a big party when coming back to Australia.
Being the first to get married under the water in Vietnam, the young couple is presented all the expense of the ceremony by Vinadive of under US$1,000. It could cost up to US$3,000 if doing it elsewhere, they said.

Culture Shock

Culture shock is exact the impact when you enter a culture very different from to which you are accustomed.
Culture shock may make you uncomfortable, lonely, strange, very surprise, amused, confused, offensive,…or embarrasing to deal with new things. We usually get this state through immigrant or stu dying in new places, especially in foreign countries.
Nomatter how well you prepare, there are many things in a culture that you can not find in a book. The misundestanding is popular in languages and body languages , names, behaviors, law and other.
Each nation/region has its own customs and habits and even it is easy to find out the differences among areas in the same nation. In fact, Western people have their particular –gracious and discreet –way to express their feelings and we find they are quite unlike those who live in Eastern countries. Even though we are living in the same beautiful and peaceful nation, Vietnam, but you may recognize the difficulty on trying to adapt new things when you move from the South to the North.
The solution to culture shock is, in my opinion, trying to learn the culture. We can learn by watching, listening, paying attention to everything around us then get our lessons and try to adapt new environment. This not only makes our knowledge widen but also help us practise the ability of sufferance.
A Thailan woman with her necklaces


SOME POINTS TO DISCUSS:
- What is your opinion about the definition of culture shock?
- Have you ever got the culture shock? How did you feel?
What did you do to pass this shock?
- Can you tell us some unforgetable misunderstandings you stuck on culture? When? Where?
- Can you share with us the customs and habits in your region/area? (weedings, greeting, giving gifts to another, traditional festivals,…)
- What do you thinks about this topic?


FUTHER READING:
* KISSING IN ARAB
Usually Arabs greet each other with cheek-to-cheek kissing either women or men, and that varies from an Arab country to another. The more you go East toward the Gulf countries, the less the kissing is between the two genders and it varies as you go West toward Egypt, Sham or the countries of al-Maghrib al-Aqsa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). In Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries, kissing would be woman to woman or man to man only, unless women and men are related by blood, then it's ok. Look after this because some people don't like to receive the greeting of kissing from the other gender. The number of kissing and which cheek to kiss first varies from a country to another. Remember, it's ONLY cheek to cheek (no lips to cheek involved here) and yo u're supposed to make a noise of kissing in the air. So meaning, as you kiss cheek to cheek, you make the noise in the air. - In Saudi Arabia, you gotta kiss the other person 3 times as follows: 1 time on the right cheek, 2 times on the left cheek - In Sham (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine): 1 time on the right, 1 time on the left, and again 1 time on the right (P.S. in London, i found it different, 1 time on the right cheek and that's it.) Also in the Gulf countries, the greeting of nose kissing is common especially among men; that would be to let your nose touch the nose of the other person one time. In the region I come from (Western Saudi), this tradition of kissing is almost never carried out. It's only common in central Saudi and probably Northern and Eastern regions. So again it may vary when to do nose-kissing and when not. The easiest is just to say 'salaam alikum', this is the most common verbal greeting and it will win you the hearts of your hosts;^) Good luck with your kissing!

* SHINTO- ONE OF POPURLAR RELIGIONS IN JAPAN
Shinto, "the way of the gods", is the original religion of Japan. Starting about 500 BCE (or earlier) it was originally a mix of nature worship, fertility cults (groups that pray for more crops), fortune telling, hero worship, and shamanism (magic). Its name came from the Chinese words "shin tao" (The Way of the Gods) in the 8th Century CE.
Followers of Shinto worship the spirits (or "kami") that live in nature. Every mountain, river, tree or other part of nature is thought to be animated (brought to live) by a divinity (god or goddess or spirit). These gods or spirits are called "kami". They dwell in nature, but can protect people. Therefore, people pray to them and make offerings, such as wine, food, or incense. The Kami are seen as benign (good, kind); they help and protect people.
The kami are consulted before important events, such as weddings, the openning of a business, making a major decision, etc. Believers look into the Shinto calendar for a lucky day when all the gods will work in the favor of the event. Even today before a new office building is built, there are offerings to the god by a high official of the Shinto religion to bring good luck to the building and to the new business.
The Japanese people in the Middle Ages and in modern times love nature. Nature is sacred. To be in contact with nature is to be close to the gods. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
Shrines: The followers of Shinto built shrines dedicated to a specific kami. Some shrines are small and like look a small altar covered with a roof. Others are surrounded by walls and have several buildings dedicated to the kami. When entering a shrine, one passed through a Tori gate, a special gateway for the Gods. This gate marks the movement between the finite world (the world that is limited, has boundaries and endings for people in death) and the infinite world (the world that is limitless, without end) of the gods. Inside the shrines, the believers would wash their hands and rinse their mouths with water from a special well to purify themselves. They would offer prayers, make a request to learn the future, make an offering, or observe a sacred dance performance dedicated to the gods. When they left the shrine they would carry out the peace that came from the contact with the gods.
Many homes also have small shrines. The family would pray and make offerings of incense or food at this shrine, and pray to their ancestors.
Physical cleanliness was important. Japanese took baths, washed their hands, and rinsed out their mouth often.
Another important part of Shinto is worship and respect of ancestors. In the worship of ancestors absolute loyalty was very important. Tradition and the family are still important. The family is seen as the main way by which traditions are preserved. The main celebrations in Shinto relate to birth and marriage, through which the family traditions are preserved.
Shinto creation stories tell of the history and lives of the "Kami." Among them was a divine couple, Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto, who gave birth to the Japanese islands. Their children became the deities of the various Japanese clans. Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess) was one of their daughters. She is the ancestress of the Imperial Family. Her descendants unified the country. Her brother, Susano came down from heaven and roamed throughout the earth. He is famous for killing a great evil serpent.
The emperor was considered to be a direct descendant of the heavenly Sun Goddess.


MOST POPULAR PROVERBS

First come, first served.
Money talks.
Betterlate than never.
Time is money.
Practice makes perfect.
Nopain, no gain.
Talk is cheap.
Boys will be boys.
Love is blind.
Opposites attract.
Home is where the heart is.
ctions speak louder than words.
All’s well that ends well.
Better safe than sorry.
History repeats itseft.
Tomorrow is another day.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
No news is good news.
We all make mistakes.

HUMOR

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, HUMOUR has the first meaning is “the quality in something that makes it funny or amusing, the ability to laugh at things that are amusing”. Humour appears from here to there in human life and soon becomes the active way of living for everybody.
In our modern time, more and more people complain about their stressful life without any answers for this. Jobs, duties, plans, relationships, daily problems... make them fall into the depressing thought. Maybe they’ve already forgotten where their smiles are. Have you ever heard: “Mot nu cuoi bang muoi thang thuoc bo”? In my opinion, HUMOUR simply means SMILE... Let’s remember this above saying so that you can easily throw this puzzle (van de nan giai) away.
Humour also helps us achieve our aims. Image you’re a lecturer. Appropriate humor relaxes audiences and makes you feel more comfortable if you’re speaker. Humour can bring attention to the point you are making; and humor will help the audience remember your points better. It can break down barriers so that audience is more receptive to your ideas more. You can make first good impression and win others’ heart with no difficulties if you have a sense of humour. Be able to set the sadness aside, relax your life and bring smlies to everybody is the same meaning as be an intelligent man.
At last, humour likes a slipping cycle making our life easily go on in many different corners. Don’t say “I can’t” or “I don’t dare” whenever someone asks you to tell a funny story.Why don’t you try?. Let’s enjoy our life with smiling everyday and bring the happiness to everybody.

Questions for discussion
1. Have you got a sense of humour? Have you ever told a funny story but after that, listeners don’t laugh?
2. What is the role of humour in human life? Should or shouldn’t we make thing become a subject for people getting stress?
3. Image you’re living in the humourless world, no smile, no laughs, no funny stories, no comedies in the stage. What will happen then?
4. Do you think that a funny story makes listeners laugh only? Have you ever read one which makes you think of further lately?
5. You have a joke or a funny game, don’t you? Share with us please.

Funny Stories
Story 1
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband.
Suddenly her husband burst into the kitchen: "Careful. CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"
The wife stared at him. "What the heck is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?" The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.”

Story 2
The definition of “GUT” (lòng can đảm) :…when a man comes home late one night, as drunk as a lord. His wife is waiting for him with a broom (cây chổi) in her hand. As quick as a flash, he asks her: “Are you going to fly somewhere?”

Story 3
One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of grey hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?" Her mother repleid," Well, everytime that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said: "Mommy, I’ve learn how ALL of grandma's hair is white”

Story 4
A couple had an argument while driving and then passed a pigfarm. Husband asked sarcastically: Relatives of yours?”. Wife responded. “Yip, my in-laws!"

Story 5
Little boy asks his spinster aunt: "Why have you never married?" She replied: "Because I have aparrot, a dog and a cat. They are just like a man...the parrot swears like a man, the dog continuously barks out (lớn tiếng ra lệnh) like a man and the cat strays (biến mất) at night...like a man."

Story 6
Wife stands in front of her mirror and said to her husband: ”I am fat, old and no longer pretty. I am wrinkled and my breasts hang..Give me a compliment” .He replied: “Your eyesight is still excellent though!”


Let sing a song together: SEASONS IN THE SUN
TERRY JACKS

Goodbye to you, my trusted friend! We’ve known each other since we were nine or ten. Together we’ve climbed hills and trees, learned of love and A-B-C, skinned our hearts and skinned our kness. Goodbye my friends! It’s hard to die when all the birds are singing in the sky now that the spring is in the air. Pretty girls are ev’rywhere, think of me and I’ll be there.
*we had ioy, we had fun, we had seasons in th sun, but the hills that we limbed were just season out of time.
Goodbye papa! Please pray for me! I was the black sheep of the family. You tried to teach me right from wrong. Too much wine and too much song, wonder how I got along. Goodbye papa! It’s hard to die when all the birds are singing in the sky now that the spring is in the air, little children av’rywhere when you will see them, I’ll be there.
*we had ioy, we had fun, we had seasons in th sun, but the wine and the song like the seasons ever gone! (twice)
goodbye Michelle, my little one! You gave me love and helped me find the sun, and ev’ry time that I was down, you would always come around and get my feet back on the ground. Goodbye Michelle! It’s hard to die when all the bird are singing in the sky now that the spring is the air with the flower av’rywhere, I wish that we could both be there.
***we had ioy, we had fun, we had seasons in th sun, but the star we could seach were just starfish on the beach (twice)
(repeat ** )
All our life, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but the hills that we climbed were just seasons out of time.

Vietnam Idol - Is That Your Choice?

Vietnam Idol recently has created a buzz in music activities. With its Idol format, Vietnam Idol has made it differentiated with previous ones such as Sao Mai Diem Hen, Ngoi Sao Tieng Hat Truyen Hinh, and successfully become a most-watched show in last 3 months
During the contest, the audiences were so surprised and enjoyable of contestant’s performance. Some are impressive with their crazy performances. Some has shocked the viewer by their answers to the judge. Some made the audiences burst into laugh by themselves-made dancing.
Beside those happy moments, we also saw the tears shed when every week we must say goodbye to one of the contestants.
However, some people are still not pleased with the way MC acted and led the show, especially Nguyen Vu.
There are still more conagreement and disagreement. Today , we hope that we will have a chance to go deeper into it and share with the others about our opinions of Vietnam Idol.
Questions:
1/ What do you think of Vietnam idol? Do you think it is a successful show?
2/ What do you think of the contestant ?
Do you think some are so confident about themselves?
What is the most memorable thing you have in the show?
3/ Do you think this is a chance that could help to bring up their own personality to public?
4/ Which contestant do you like best ? Did you send message to vote for her/him? Why not?
5/ Which round did your favourite singer achieve? Do you know why she/he could not go further?
6/What do you think of the MC? Do you think they did their good jobs? Is there anything you think that they should improve?
7/What is your opinion of the judge? Are they cool? Did they give the sharp comments? Is the comment clear and straight-forward?
8/ Finally, we have found our new Vietnam Idol - Phuong Vy, do you think she is qualified for that prize ? Why ?
9/ In your opinion, what has supported Phuong Vy to win this prize ?
What do the others lack of ? For example : Hai Yen, Ngoc Minh, etc..
10/ Do you expect this show will continue this year? Why ?
11/ Will you join the contest next tear?? J
Further Reading
Accounting for over 53% of the total 720,000 voting messages, contestant Phuong Vy from HCM City passed Ngoc Anh from Ha Tay province to become the first music idol of Vietnam.

Further Reading

The award ceremony took place last night, October 3, at the Hoa Binh Theatre in HCM City.

The Vietnam Idol 2007 winner, Phuong Vy said that besides the real ability, luck and the support of audiences are very important to become Vietnam Idol.

After the contest, all music activities of the Vietnam Idol 2007 will be managed by Music Faces Company. This is an opportunity for Phuong Vy to have access to the professional music environment and to prepare for the ASEAN Idol contest in December 2007.

Before the awards ceremony, the top last contestants of Vietnam Idol 2007, Phuong Vy and Ngoc Anh met with fans at the waiting room of the Hoa Binh Theatre.

Phuong Vy, Ngoc Anh and eight contestants of the final round of Vietnam Idol 2007 performed at the awards ceremony.

“They (the last ten contestants) will create new vitalities to the music market and audience will have more choice of entertainment,” said song writer Tuan Khanh, a member of the jury.

Lasting for over six months, the first Vietnam Idol attracted 6,000 contestants, mainly young people. According to the organisers, this will be an annual contest.

HAPPYNESS IS A CHOICE

Do you sometimes ask yourseft why you don’t feel happy, or happiness does not stay long with you ?
You get aggravated with your colleague who neglect thei works, but still get higher salary than you – a person who works responsily - just because he/she has close relationship to the boss? Just thinking about him/her, you get angry
You yell at your little brother for accidentally pill the Coca on your favourite shirt, you and he don’t talk each other for a week
You feel that life is hard. There are a ton of little things all around waiting to bug you. You don’t feel happy. You may get happy when you sing Karaoke with your friends, or take part in a birthday party. You may get excited getting to know you have passed a big test. But those precious moments will ultimately pass. You feel that happiness is uncertain. You want to be happy, but HOW?
Life is too short not to enjoy every single day ! [Joel Osteen]
So, do you think that you can choose to be happy ? Pls voice your ideas !

Aggravated (adj): buc minh, kho chiu
Colleague (n): dong nghiep
Neglect (adj): tho o
Yell (v): la mang
Bug (v): lam kho chiu
Ultimately (adv): cuoi cung
Uncertain (adj): khong chac chan


How to Be Happy

Everyone just wants to be happy. That's why people go on diets, spend too much money for clothes, or suck up to popular people - because they think it will make them happy! Happiness can be a "comfortable-good" or an "excited-good" or a "chilled-out-good" because it has many flavours and faces, depending on whom you are with, or what you are doing. However, if you get to know all different people, you will see what makes the happiest people happy.Steps

1. Change your thought process.

If you catch yourself thinking that things aren't going to work out, then think again. Remember that most things work out better than you fear - so imagine that your fears are ungrounded and that success is ahead. Rather than thinking of the problems and getting desperate, imagine the best outcome and then work out what you need to do to make that happen. Follow your "inner guidance system." If the thoughts you are thinking are not giving you a good feeling, then think about something else that will make you feel good in that moment. Monitor your thoughts consistently throughout the day. Sometimes this may not be as easy as you think if you are stuck in a "negative" train of thought and your brain chemicals are getting fired up and forming an "anxiety or anger" pathway. Anxiety, fear and anger patterns can be interrupted by focusing on doing a math problem, counting backwards, counting in odd numbers, doing a sudoku puzzle, etc. - this will dissipate the rush of chemicals that are making you feel bad. Immediately then go back to picturing

2. scenes/remembering things/imagining, planning stuff that makes you feel GOOD.

3. See the world for what it really is.

You have friends and family that love you. Learn How to be thankful. Think of all the things you have to be happy about. Relax, calm down, take things slower. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears. We cannot change the past, but we can enjoy today, and look to the future. But if we are prepared to take credit for the past and accept that everything that happened in our life, good and bad, has made us the person we are - the battle is half won.

4. Lighten up. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Stress can cause many mental, physical, and spiritual problems in your life. One of the major causes of stress is worrying about things that are out of your control. Learn to recognize these things and if you can truly do nothing about them, then just let them go. Take time to laugh at yourself and the situations you find yourself in. Laughter is a powerful, positive medicine and the calmer and more peaceful you can take things, the happier your life will be.

5. Be yourself. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you. Don’t compare yourself to other people – at work or in your personal life. In the first place, no one knows what other people are going through. More importantly, when you compare yourself to other people, you always tend to see yourself on the "short end". So this is never a good or helpful thing for you to do. One way to get in touch with yourself is through journaling. The goal is to open up completely to yourself and learn to be your best friend by knowing that the truth (to yourself) will set you free from fear! Practice self-acceptance no matter what. Never do something you're not comfortable with. You'll respect yourself for sticking to your guns, and that self-respect will make you happy.

6. Make a scheduled time every day for relaxation.

This is a good time to go over any therapy that you’re working on. Having a "relaxation" time or a "quiet time" every day strengthens you, allows the stress and tension in your life to evaporate, and keeps you more on a positive, even keel.

Learning Corner
joke (noun): something said to make somebody laugh; a trick played on somebody for fun

to joke (verb): to make jokes; to be not serious

PHRASES to tell a joke to tell someone a funny story to be no joke to be a difficult or serious matter to be beyond a joke to be worrying

OTHER WORDS jokey (also joky) adjective jokily adverb jokiness noun joking adjective jokingly adverb

Please be happy with event below on 28 Oct 07